Investigations continue after a bad accident in Springfield, MO, involving a dump truck and an ambulance.  Initial theories of what took place centered around the dump truck running almost directly into the ambulance as other motorists attempted to yield to the emergency vehicle.  Witnesses did confirm that the ambulance had its emergency flashing lights illuminated and sirens (whaler) on.  67 year-old James Pettibone of Greenfield was being transported to the hospital when the collision took place.  Mr. Pettibone did not survive the impact.  Also injured were ambulance personnel and the dump truck driver.  All in all, this was a severe truck vs. vehicle accident. 

Missouri law requires motorists and other vehicles to yield for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firetrucks.  The penalty for failure to yield to these vehicles ranges from a traffic ticket to a civil lawsuit.  Failing to obey the Missouri Rules of the Road, and causing an accident resulting in personal injury or wrongful death, is actionable under the doctrine of negligence per se.  The legal theory is that if you disregard a statute that is intended to protect people from injury, that the defendant is "presumed" to be "negligent."  There are exceptions to this general rule, as well as applicable defenses.

Both vehicles involved in this crash were commercial motor vehicles.  They both have an electronic control module which can be retrieved and studied to discover what both vehicles were doing just prior to impact.  Forensic evidence such as this can assist a Missouri car accident lawyer in piecing together what happened.